Apparatus for handling metal bars.



F. H. DANIELS & A..P. BAGKLIN. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING METAL Bus,

APPLICATION FILED 00130. 1908. 1,021,582.

F iii Q m QW- Patented Mar.26,1912.

P. H..DANIBLS & A. F. BAGKLIN. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING METAL 3mg.

APPLICATION rnnn 001'. so, 1904;.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912;

2 sums-gum 2.

WITNESSES FRED H. DANIELS AND axar. 1*. BACKLIN, or wonensrna, massacnosnrrs, AssIen onsro. THE AMERICAN STEEL &. WIRE GOMYANY or new JERSEY, or HOBDKEN,

A r OFFICE.

NEW JERSEY, A CORIEOIRIJMLIIIOIN' OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING METAL BARS.

.en'fid a new and useful Apparatus for llandling Metal Bars, of which the followmg is a fu'll, clear, and exact description,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 isa plan view showing a portion of bar-handling apparatus constructed and arranged in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1, showing one position assumed by the moving parts in handling metal bars; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the par-ts inanother position assumed during the transfer movement; Fig. 4: is a detail in side elevation; and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional end elevation of the reciprocating bars, showing the positions assumed by the ratchet pawls in actuating the ratchet wheels employed foixrotating the shafts and star wheels forming the conveyer; Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a modified form ofstar wheel. ()ur invention relates to apparatus for handling metal bars and like materials manufactured in rollingmills, and the object of the invention is to provide improved means for handling such materials, particularly after thecompletion of the rolling operation during the interval in which the hot materials are being cooled sufficiently to permit of their being handled without liability of damage to the materials or injury to the operatives.

Theinvention consists in providing bar handling apparatus of improved construction, which is arranged to handle the products of rolling mills and to transfer such material laterally across the width'of the apparatus from a roller delivery table located alongside; the apparatus to a roller receiving table located on the, opposite side l ft-he apparatus,uponwhich the materials are deposited and by which they are carried to the shears or other point of disposal.

The invention further consists in providing apparatus which is adapted tohandle' such materials while they are being cooled from the hot state in which they are fin- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 30, 1908. Serial K0. 460,361.

Patepted Mai-l 26,1912;

ished by the reducing rolls of rolling mills, so .as to prevent damage or injury'to the materials or distortion of the shapes while being so handled and at the same time providing suflicient storage capacityt to p'ermit of the gradual cooling; of the materials, while being, supported upon the apparatus and1 prevent delays in the operation of the m1 In the drawings, 2 represents the fged 3 rollers of the delivery table, upon which the materials being handled are delivered lengthwise alongside the transverse. conveyer, in position to be transferred'from the rollers to the conveyor, and 3 the feed rollers of the receiving table, located on the opposite side of the conveyor and upon which the materials are received and are.

carried away from the conveyer. The rollers 2 and 3 forming the roller. tables are positively driven through bevel gears 4 and 5 and line shafts 6 and 7 by the respective driving motors (not shown) which are con'- nected to the line shafts.

Located between the feed tables formed by the sets of rollers 2 and of rollers 3 is a series of sets of horizontally extending rotary shafts 8,- the shafts in each set being arranged in substantially parallel vertical planes. shafts .8 are arranged in endwise alinement witl'i those of the adjoining sets,"whenmore than one set is employed the number of sets varying with the length of the shafts and the total length required .for the apparatus,

in order to support the full length'of the barsor'other ma'ttrials being handled by the apparatus, in the, drawings one complete set and portions of two, adjoining sets being shown. Each of the shafts 8 is provided with two or more star wheels 9 having a plurality of radially extending projections or teeth 9 the iumber of wheels necessary on each shaft ddpending upon the length and-flexibility of he materials being transferred by the apparatus and the distance necessary between the supports in order to prevent distortion'or damage to suchmaterials. The wheels 9 on the shafts 8" are staggored with relation to those on adjacent shafts and the shafts are spaced apart so The axes of the several sets of too that the teeth 9 on each shaft will overlap those on the adjoining shafts and will lifton its other side. The rotatable shafts 8 have reduced end portions 8"- which extend into suitable bearings provided for that purpose and each of the star wheel shafts is shown provided with ratchet wheels 10 and by means of which the shafts are actuated and the star wheels are caused to turn and are held so as toprevent their backward movement by the weight of the materials being transferred.

. Mounted in suitable bearings below the horizontal shafts 8 so as to extend lengthwise horizontally and at right angles to the axes of the shafts 8 are the reciprocating bars 12 and 13 and pivotally mounted on these bars are 'the ratchet pawls 14 and 15 by means ofwhich the ratchet wheels are operated, one pawl being provided for each ratchet wheel. Lifting arms 16 are secured upon the liftin shafts 17 with their outer ends extending etween the rollers 2 'so as to engage with and transfer the bars laterally from the rollers2 to the star wheels'9 when the shaft 17 is rocked to lift the' arms, and slides 18 which extend between the rollers 3 are arranged to carry the bars deposited upon the slides by the star wheels to the rollers 3. I

The reciprocating bars 12 and 13 are connected by means of reach rods or links 19, 20 to one side of the oppositely projecting lever arms 21 and 22 which are secured on the rocking shaft 23 by means of which the star wheel actuating mechanism is actuated, these bars being arranged to move in opposite directions. The lifting shafts 17 carry ing the rocking lifting. arms 16 are also connected to andactuated by the reciprocating.

bars 12 through the lever arms 2t on the shaft 17 and the links 25. The rocking shaft 23 is connected to and operated through the reach rod 26 by the crank 27 which in turn is connected to a suitable driving motor (not shown).

In the operation of our improved apparatus, the bars are delivered lengthwise by the rollers 2 until they are al'ongsidethe' transverse conveyer formed by the star wheels in position to be transferred to the star wheels. The crank 27 is then caused to actuate the shaft 23. As this shaft is rocked by the crank, the bars 12 and- 13 are reciprocated in opposite directions. When. the bar 12 is moved from right to left the points 14 of the pawls 1 1 engagcwith the teeth in the ratchet wheels 10 which are on the shafts 8 and rotate these shafts through a part, of a revolution. The bar 12 is then caused to travel in the opposite direction, and the direction of movement for the bar 18 is also changed. By this movement, the points 15 of the pawls 15 engage with the teeth of the ratchet wheels 11 also secured on the shafts throughout one revolution.

8 and rotate these shafts through another part of a revolution. These operations are repeated intermittently so that the star wheels 9 are caused to rotate by an intermittent movement, a series of such, steps being necessary to rotate the shaft and wheel The reciproeating bars 12 and 13, by moving in opposite directions also serve to lock the star wheels against their backward movement and prevent the shafts 8 from rotating in opposite directions by reason of the weight of the materials supported upon'and being transferred by the apparatus. By the opposite and intermittent movements of the bars 12 and 13, one of the pawls 1 1 is always engaged with the teeth in one of the ratchet wheels 10 and 11 which are mounted upon the'shafts 8, in this way compelling 'the 'star wheels to rotate always, in the same direction. Each back and forth movement of the bars 12 causes the lifting arms 16 to be lowered from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3, and to be again raised into the position shown by Fig. 2, this lifting movement raising any bars which may be in position on the rollers 2 of the delivery table, and causing them to be shifted laterally from the feed rollers to one of the series of points on the star wheels as is shown in Fig. 3. The step by step movement of theistanwheels causes the bar to be advanced from one row or line of wheels to the next adjacent row of wheels, and finally .to reach the inclined supports 18, which are located at the opposite or delivery side-of the apparatus, from this point the bars being transferred by gravity to the rollers 3 of the receiving table.

The above steps are carried out so as to transfer the bars or other materials from the rollers forming the table 2 to the rollers 3 forming the receiving table, and the bars are slowly transferred across the width of the conveyor between these points, they become cooled to a sullici'ent extent that they can be handled without danger of damage to the bars or injury to the operatives.

The advantages of our invention are many. and will beappreciated b'y those skilled in the art. By the arrangement of the substantially parallel rows of star wheels the 'materials are supported at frequent interval'sin their length) and distortion or bending of flexible materials which this apparatus is designed tohandlc, will be prevented during their movement in the hot state in which they are delivered from the rolling mill. The apparatus is simple, and

can be easily kept in repair.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from our invention. The feed tables may be located at different elevations with the conveyor mechanism inthereto, as is desired. But oneset of recip- -widt-h and length.

rocating bars with its pawls may be employed when desired instead of the two sets which are alternately in operative engagement with the ratchet wheels as shown in the drawings, in which case a pawl or equivalent det'ice is provided to hold the shafts and star wheels from rotation back-' wardly or in opposite directions.

Instead of employing ratchet wheels and pawls with reciprocating bars for intermittently rotating the star Wheels, as is shown in the drawings, spur gearing or worm gearing, or any equivalent device for rotating the star wheels may be employed. The size and number of shafts may be varied so as to form transfer apparatus of any desired The form of the projections on the star wheels may be changed to suit materials of different cross section, and many other changes-may be made with-v out departing from our invention.

lVe claim z 1. Apparatus for handling metal bars, comprising a series of sets of toothed wheels, the teeth of adjacent sets of wheels overlapping and having edge portions arranged to lift and transfer the bars sidewise from one side to those on the opposite side when said wheels are rotat'echand means including a ratchetand pawl for rotating the wheels; substantially as described.

2. Apparatus for handling metal bars, comprising a conveyer having a series of sets of toothed wheels, with the teeth of adjacent sets of wheels overlapping, the teeth having edge portions arranged to engage with and positlvely move bars supported thereon laterally across th width of the apparatus from series to series when the wheels are actuated, and means for intermittently ac- ,tuating thewheels to transfer the bars; substantially as described.

3. Apparatus for handling metal bars,

comprising a roller delivery table arranged to deliver bars lengthwise thereon, and having means for actuating the table, a conveyer having a series of sets of toothed wheels with the teeth in one set overlapping those in its adjacent set, and having means for actuating said wheels, and mechanism arranged to simultaneously transfer the bars from the table to the conveyer and on the conveyer when said conveyer wheels are actuated; substantially as .described. I

4. Apparatus for handling metal bars comprising a series of sets of toothed wheels having the teeth of adjacent wheels over lapping,- and arranged to transfer sidewise bars supported thereon when the wheels are rotated, and means including a ratchet and pawl for. rotating the wheels; said means being arranged to prevent backward movement of said wheels; substantially as described.

5. Apparatus for handling, metal bars comprising a conveyer having a series of sets of toothed wheels with the teeth of the adjacent sets overlapping and arranged to move bars supported thereon sidewise across the width of the apparatus when the wheels are actuated, and means for intermittently actuating the wheels to transfer the bars, said actuating means being adapted to alternately hold the sets of wlieels to prevent backward movement thereof and rotatethe wheels to transfer the bars; substantially as described.

. In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

FRICD H. DANIELS. A. 11. BACKLIN. 

